Bell Let's Talk: "Missing Work"

Tomorrow January 28th is The Bell "Let's Talk" Day. The purpose of this day is to bring awareness to mental health issues across Canada. We have come a long way but many still suffer in silence.

To encourage people to speak I will share my story:

I grew up in a household with a proud father, loyal husband and an extremely hard worker (he worked on the railroad). He was a hulk of a man standing at 6 foot 5 inches, built like a linebacker and hands the size of grizzly bear paws. I also grew up in a household where my father suffered from severe depression. There were days we would come home and we would find him crying on the couch. Often he would leave to go on long drives and we wondered if he would come back.  There were tremendous mood swings and we were always on egg shells. Since we grew up in a small town he worried that he and the family would be stigmatized if his condition was disclosed. So both he and our family suffered in silence. The depression continued to consume him to the point where he could no longer work. He was complete lost in negative thoughts of himself. To him everything he did was wrong. Both medication and therapy were attempted but things continued to get worse. Finally at 47 years of age on March 26th, 2003 the depression consumed him and he took his own life.

Having been on the front line I see what depression can do to an individual and a family. Unlike cancer where you can seek support from the community, many people are left hiding mental health issues.

So please take the time on Jan 28th and reach out to others if you are suffering or led a hand to someone you believe needs help.